Gracie by Judi Curtin

It's 1930. Twelve-year-old Gracie has always lived in a tiny cottage bursting with brothers and sisters, until she's sent to stay with her widowed Aunt Peg. Suddenly Gracie finds herself in a big, empty house feeling very alone.

Enter the Travelling Players and their theatre. Liliana and her family are wild, funny and talented – and fill Gracie's days with colour and excitement.

Can she be happy here after all?

Lights, Camera, Mayhem! by Alan Nolan

Dublin, 1937

A gang of movie-mad kids meet at the Grand Central Cinema on O’Connell Street and form a club to make their OWN films!

Jem, Juno, Sylvie and friends are thrilled to meet world-famous child actress Dottie Bright. But they soon learn it’s not always good to meet your heroes. Dottie is a spoiled brat. There’s no way she is going to help them with their own film.

But then danger strikes, and Dottie needs the gang to be her real-life heroes.

A rollercoaster adventure about the magic of the silver screen and the power of unlikely friendships.

Bluebird by Harriet Parsons

It’s 1991; at a Russian ballet school, ballet is everything – beauty, perfection, endurance, sacrifice ...

When Dublin girls Hope and Emily are chosen to study at the famous Pavlovgrad Ballet School, they think all their dreams have come true, but the challenges they face will be harder than they could ever imagine.

Daily life in the Soviet Union is like stepping into another world – freezing winters, sugar shortages, boarding at school with the other ballet students – but the chance to learn from the best, and the chance to become the best, makes all the sacrifice worthwhile. Or does it? For Hope, adopted from Russia as a baby, returning to the country of her birth to fulfil her dream of becoming a ballerina uncovers secrets buried deep…

Looking for Aurora By Zainab Boladale

Aurora Kutti's life seems perfect: she's a beauty and fashion icon for her many TikTok followers.

But below the surface it’s a different story. All the freebies and product launches can’t stop her feeling empty. All the glamour is scripted, and she’s not even sure she knows who she is anymore.

When Aurora’s ‘momager’ pushes her towards yet more fame, she decides to make herself disappear. But can she find herself, or is she lost forever?

Secret of the Selkies by Laura Keohane

‘They came from the sea, shrouded in cloaks and mystery’

A lonely summer looms ahead for Lana, with only Nan and Grandad for company. Still, it’s better than being stuck at home, living in her perfect brother’s shadow. But Carrig Cottage has magic and secrets of its own. When Lana finds a strange coat in the attic, and a book about mysterious, magical seal people – selkies – she also uncovers an incredible family secret. Lana is on the edge of a whole new, impossible world. Is this where she truly belongs?

The Bookshop Sisters by Sarah Webb

It’s 1956. When thirteen-year-old bookworm Rosy Heron and her big sister Martha are sent to Dublin to help their aunt Toto in her busy bookshop for the summer, their quiet lives change overnight.

The two sisters quickly become part of the Baggot Books team as junior booksellers and bicycle delivery girls. But the bookshop is also full of secrets. Where does their aunt disappear to at night, and what exactly is happening in the basement of the shop? Rosy is determined to solve the mystery, but she’s not the only one interested in the goings-on in Baggot Books …

from the top, Sally Flynn by Méabh Collins

Sally loves musical theatre and dreams of a career on Broadway. Living near a theatre with her dad, she can practically see her dreams come true.

Writing her own musical is Sally’s first step to a life of fame. It’s so annoying that friends and family KEEP hinting that maybe her musical is not really about a lonely frog, but actually about her own life. She’s sure no one ever said that to Lin-Manuel Miranda!

Armed with new skills from a course packed with main-cast-energy theatre kids, Sally is ready to take her show public. Will her performance prove to her friends that she’s over any problems? The show must go on, after all.

What's That Spooky Sound? By Gerry Daly

It’s the morning after a big storm. Badger, red deer, owl and pygmy shrew hear a strange sound. It’s coming from across the stream, beyond the big tree, over the rocks … Maybe it’s from the big dark hole? One by one, they set off to investigate.

Just what is that sound? It’s kind of … spooky …

Small Magics by Alex Dunne

‘Magic isn’t only found in old ancient forests or dusty old castles … it’s everywhere, all the time …’

Molly Flynn never had a place to call home until she was sent to live above a mysterious antique shop with Pat, Priya and their foster kids, Wren and Lorcan. Her new family are anything but ordinary, though, and Molly is soon swept into their world of small magics.

But things start to turn frightening: someone is attacking magical creatures. No one is safe …

Can Molly and her newfound family defeat the dark magic before it’s too late?

A Friend for Tiny Ghost By Tatyana Feeney

Tiny Ghost is all alone. He’d love someone to play with, but no one can see him.

Until one day Sam visits a big, old house. And he can see Tiny Ghost! Can a small boy and a tiny ghost be friends?

Well, maybe …

O'Brien Picture Books

O'Brien have so many amazing books coming out, I couldn't fit them all in on their own posts! So here's a roundup of three fantastic picture books I can't wait to start selling.

Heroes of Light and Shadow by Conor Forrest

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Magic is real. But so are monsters.

Oisin dreams of being a hero, like the ones he reads about in books. So when he overhears a plot for a midnight raid on a Dublin museum, he knows this is his chance.

But Oisin soon realises that heroes must fight monsters. Dark things that lurk in the shadows – like the sinister Fomorians – don’t take kindly to those who get in their way.

With the help of legendary troublemaker Fionn Mac Cumhaill, can Oisin prevent death and destruction? Or will modern Dublin find itself at the mercy of the mythical monsters it had forgotten?

The Vanished Girl by Natasha Mac A'Bhaird

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Sycamore Hill Boarding School, Donegal, 1963

Clare, Rose and Molly are happy to be back at Sycamore Hill, getting ready for the school musical and training hard at hockey. When new girl Amy joins their class in the middle of term, she's a bit of a puzzle to solve. Amy's vague about her home and is never allowed leave the school grounds with the other girls. Clare wonders if she's a film star or millionaire in disguise!

But then a new nun unexpectedly joins the staff and Clare and friends begin to fear Amy's secret is something darker. Could Sr Eva be there to spy on Amy - or harm her? Who can the girls trust?

Clare, Rose and Molly vow to use their detective skills to get to the bottom of this new mystery before it's too late.

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Boarding school fun, a mysterious new classmate, and a secret that could change everything 🏫✨

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Pre-Reading Thoughts
I adored the first book - it captured that Chalet School/Enid Blyton energy so well, with a mix of hockey sticks, midnight snacks, and just enough danger to keep things lively. My hope going in was that book two would keep the charm while upping the mystery.

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Post-Reading
As I thought…
The tone is spot on: spirited school life with hidden layers of tension. The balance between everyday boarding school routines and the undercurrent of danger is beautifully handled.

It surprised me by…
How much I enjoyed the historical details - slipped in so seamlessly that you don’t realise you’re learning until afterwards. Also, the new nun? Deliciously unsettling.

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Music Pairing
🎵 Featured Song: “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore (1963 release = era-appropriate girl power anthem)
🎶 Vibe Album: The Best of Dusty Springfield (all 1960s atmosphere with a bittersweet edge)
🎧 Artist Recommendation: The Shangri-Las (teen drama, mystery, and melancholy in perfect harmony)

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Vibe Check
🎨 Colour palette: Navy blue uniforms, pale stone walls, candlelight yellow
🎶 Soundtrack: Hockey sticks clattering, echoing footsteps in corridors, whispered secrets after lights-out
🍂 Season: Early spring term, crisp and full of restless energy
😌 Mood: Curious, suspicious, adventurous
🌹 Scent: Ink-stained paper, beeswax polish, and the faintest whiff of mystery

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Tarot Pull
From the Cosy Witch Tarot: The High Priestess 🌙
This card embodies hidden knowledge, intuition, and secrets waiting to be revealed—just like Amy’s mystery at Sycamore Hill. It’s a reminder that not everything is as it seems, and trust your instincts.

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For Fans Of
📖 The School at the Chalet by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
📺 Call the Midwife (for the 1960s setting, period detail, and quiet shadows under wholesome surfaces)

🃏 The deck had opinions: [King of Wands] — [The girls show wisdom and loyalty towards each other]

🐾

True Friends at Fernside by Sheena Wilkinson

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Fernside House, nestled at the end of a quiet road, is waiting for eighty girls to disturb its holiday peace ...

Cousins Robin and Linnet are back at Fernside and school life is busier than ever - with the animals at Rowanbank, a new science class, netball rivalry and fun in the dorms.

But the end-of-term exams are not the only test for the girls. As the lower fourth face the good and the bad times of growing up and the cancellation of the Christmas Show, a surprise 'new' girl challenges them to understand what it really means to be a true friend at Fernside.

The Grand Central Cinema Club by Alan Nolan

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Dublin, 1937

At the Grand Central Cinema on O'Connell Street, the children of Dublin watch their Hollywood heroes on the silver screen.

When Sylvie meets tenement boy Jem and his daredevil sister Juno, they bond over their love of movies. But an accident means Juno will miss the latest film at the Grando, so they hatch a plot to hijack the movie reel and do a top-secret private showing instead!

Meanwhile, a sneak thief called The Magpie has his eye on the Grand Central Cinema too. Can Sylvie and Jem revive Juno's ailing spirits by bringing the movies to her? And will they foil The Magpie's feather-brained plan in time?

Where the Shadows Hide by Amy Clarkin

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The chill intensified, and Archer opened his eyes to see the candles extinguish one by one …

PSI – Paranormal Surveyance Ireland – are in deep water. When the operators of a luxury cruise ship ask for their help with a series of unexplainable events, Raven and the team are hopeful that this case, for once, won’t endanger their lives.

As they try to blend in with the wealthy passengers, it quickly becomes clear to Davis, Fionn and the others that there is more lurking in the shadows than they've realised. With the eerie encounters escalating and rising tensions threatening to tear the team apart, time is running out for PSI. Can they save the ship – and themselves – before it’s too late?

O'Brien Picture Books

O'Brien are still at it! Here's another two upcoming titles that I'm very excited to see on the shelves. These are going to do really well for Christmas!

Any Way you Slice It by Meabh McDonnell

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Sieve. Measure. Mix ... Win

For Carrie Quinn, baking isn't just a hobby: it's her future.

Winning the Castlecreagh baking competition and becoming best young pastry chef in the country is the first step towards her dream. But when she and Dara Harte, handsome pastry prodigy and Carrie's sworn nemesis, are both disqualified from the competition, it seems like her future has crumbled.

Unless the pair can find a way to bake together. Can they rise above their rivalry and complicated home lives long enough to succeed? Or are they a disaster waiting to happen, any way you slice it?

The Stolen Child by W B Yeats and Erin Brown

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Written when W.B. Yeats was just twenty-one, 'The Stolen Child' remains one of his most popular poems. At this time, the young poet was inspired by the landscape of County Sligo and the legends and superstitions he heard from the locals there. 'The Stolen Child' tells of a boy taken from his home by the faeries and led 'hand in hand' into their world. With its enchanting refrain - 'Come away, o human child / To the waters and the wild' - and vivid images of magic and nature, it is a pleasure for readers young and old.

Here, the text is accompanied by radiant original art by Erin Brown, each illustration taking us on a visual journey through one of Ireland's most famous poems.

O'Brien Picture Books

Tis the season! O'Brien have released some beautiful new picture books, and I'm here to run through a few of them and give you some idea what they're like. Hint, these would make great presents!